Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's campaign worked in late 2009 to pay down their campaign debt.

Washington (CNN) - While revelers across the world prepared to ring in the new year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign committee spent the final day of 2009 chipping away at campaign debts owed to its sole remaining creditor.

According to records filed Sunday with the Federal Election Commission, Clinton's committee spent part of New Year's Eve making six payments totaling $150,000 to the Democratic polling firm of Penn and Schoen. The campaign had once owed the firm $5.4 million, but had reduced that amount to $850,500 by the time the clock struck midnight on December 31. The former presidential hopeful's campaign debt is now at its lowest level since she first launched her campaign in early 2007.

The campaign reported having $1.7 million in the bank at the start of 2010, more than double the amount needed to pay off its remaining unpaid bills.

Clinton's debt reached its peak in June 2008 shortly after the former New York senator suspended her campaign. At that point, her presidential committee owed $12 million to almost 500 creditors and $13.2 million to the candidate herself, who dipped into her personal funds to help finance her campaign. Campaign finance laws forced Clinton to forgive the amount she loaned her committee because she was not able to repay the funds by the required deadline.

The campaign raised slightly more than $11,000 in contributions from October through December and generated an additional $125,000 from the rental of its campaign mailing lists to other organizations. Among those paying for the use of the Clinton mailing lists last quarter were the campaigns of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who paid about $1,050 for use of the list in his November re-election fight, and Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, whose seat is up in 2012.

In addition to the $150,000 in debt repayment, the Clinton campaign spent an additional $280,000 in other operating expenses. The campaign reported spending $121,000 on "consulting/legal" expenses, $24,000 in "consulting/fundraising" expenses, and almost $57,000 in salaries.

A federal law known as the "Hatch Act" prohibits Secretary Clinton and other federal government employees from personally soliciting or accepting political contributions. The law does allow others to raise funds on Clinton's behalf, without her direct involvement.

soundoff(37 Responses)

Michael from Ventura

I agree with a previous poster that this was set up by CNN to let the haters bash – yet again. I voted for and worked for President Obama all through the campaign. The primaries are over- and this country faces so many problems due to the Bush administration..whether the gop admits it or not- We need to concentrate on solutions- don't dredge up stuff just so people can spew their hatred. They do that plenty enough already.

February 2, 2010 01:07 pm at 1:07 pm |

Turnabout is Fair Play

Who said the Mayans were wrong? February 2nd, 2010 12:10 pm ET

Clinton could have made it if she could have kept from lying so much during her election.Her debt could have been paid off long ago but she must be using it as some type of writeoff.Sarah Palin is retarded,maybe she will fall out of her helicopter on her next baby seal bashing hunt.
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ROFLMAO! You are so right with your post. Concerning Palin, I would hope she fell out of the helicopter and right in front of the wounded wolf she just shot from the helicopter. See how she handles herself then as it leaps for her throat out of blind pain and anger.

February 2, 2010 01:08 pm at 1:08 pm |

Jim in Florida

When you sit back and reflect upon things it is remarkable that Hilliary even got as close to Obama as she did – as she was obviously outspent in a big way. She was also out-muscled and organized at caucuses (the difference in the delegate count as it turned out) – seems Hilliary didn't have an Oprah in her pocket.

Is it any wonder what we are seeing in the polls now? Obama's polish is quickly wearing off.

February 2, 2010 01:10 pm at 1:10 pm |

If you want something ruined, put a republican in charge

Way to go Hillary. This is not like the right wingnuts who can only create debt for our grandchildren with no means to pay it back. We are fortunate to have a democrat with a plan to fix the repub mess.

February 2, 2010 01:11 pm at 1:11 pm |

If you want something ruined, put a republican in charge

Paying back debt is foreign to the repubs, as the three presidents who generated the greatest amount of national debt are: Reagan, Bush 2 and Bush the elder.

February 2, 2010 01:17 pm at 1:17 pm |

LaCrosse Mom (the unreal one)

Duhhhhhhhhhhhh, uhhhhhhhhhh, errrrr!! 40,000 people die because they are not insured, Social security is socialism, uh, errr, GOP obstructionists.... duuuuhh errrrr, PLEASE CONFUSE THE SPELLING!

February 2, 2010 01:23 pm at 1:23 pm |

gary davis harbor oregon

THANK YOU hILLARY FOR STEPPING UP AND HELPING THE PRESIDENT AND THE PEOPLE GREAT JOB :)

February 2, 2010 01:25 pm at 1:25 pm |

Congratulations!

Congratulations, liberal retards (sure you won't mind, since you don't mind Rahm's use of this term).

Hillary correctly asked what experience Obama had, except for that one speech at the Dem convention. But you didn't listen. You preferred to hook your wagon onto a dead horse called Obama!

Congratulations - and enjoy your continuing ride into disaster for our country. You should be so proud!

February 2, 2010 01:28 pm at 1:28 pm |

America Rocks

How could Americans expect her to run the country when she couldn't even run her campaign without it going 12 million dollars in debt?

She was reckless with her campaign spending...buying luxury hotel rooms for herself in Iowa and spending more on those ridiculous "3 AM" ads against Obama that have since been proven wrong.

February 2, 2010 01:40 pm at 1:40 pm |

Scott, Tucson

Don't you libs just wish you have voted for Hillary instead of the clown you out in office?

By the way, is CNN going to report the story of how Obama and his campaign staff is stiffing the city of Springfield, IL to the tune of $55,457 dollars for his campaign stop in 2008 and that the city is looking at having a collection agency go after the deadbeat. Obama's fix to this problem would be to increase his spending bill by another $55,457

February 2, 2010 01:41 pm at 1:41 pm |

El Kababa

Keith in Austin wrote: "I only wish our liberal President and Congress were as concerned as Hillary is in repaying debt!"

I only wish Conservatives could read and think as well as talk.
National Debt from Washington to Carter: $1.5 trillion

Reagan doubled the debt to $3 trillion

Bush Sr added another $1.5 trillion making the debt $4.5 trillion.

Clinton added $1.5 trillion, then paid back $0.5 trillion, leaving a debt of $5.5 trillion and a budget surplus of $250 billion.

Bush Jr. added SIX TRILLION DOLLARS TO THE NATIONAL DEBT, leaving office with a debt of $11 trillion.

Reagan, Bush, and Bush added NINE TRILLION DOLLARS TO OUR DEBT.

Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter combined added less to the national debt than Ronald Reagan added in his first term. Google it.

February 2, 2010 02:00 pm at 2:00 pm |

Dar

My God, she spent 25.2 millon dollars to try and get a job that pays one millon a year. I think she would have been better off staying at home and........................wait, Bill's there and she stay's in NY by her self.(and I dont blame her)
I to wish Hillary would have won, at least we knew what we were getting. Nobody quite knows what Odumbo about.
25.2 millon, that sure would have fed a lot of hungary kids.